Shopping ethically can be a bit of a minefield, especially when it comes to our beloved beauty products.

The EU banned animal testing for cosmetics back in 2013, and many beauty brands were more than happy to slap 'not tested on animals' on their website FAQs and call it a day. However, things are a little more complicated than that; although the EU has wised up to humane testing, the same can't be said of the beauty industry worldwide. Basically, we're talking about China.

Chinese law dictates that all cosmetics sold in mainland China be submitted for lab tests there, which is pretty much a guarantee that they'll be tested on animals.

Unable to resist the lure of the huge Chinese market, most cosmetics giants have acquiesced to the law and submitted their products for testing.

The thing is, a lot of brands are keeping schtum about their involvement with China, or being deliberately vague or misleading on their websites about whether or not they test on animals. The FAQs often run along the lines of 'No, absolutely not, we categorically do NOT test on animals...except when we do.' Sometimes it's impossible to tell whether a brand is trying to pull the wool over your eyes or whether their website just isn't clear.

So, when you pop into your local Superdrug to replenish your stash, how are you to know which brands are cruelty-free and which ones aren't?

I went to my local mid-size Superdrug in Bicester to see what I could find.

Just as a side note here folks, I'm not trying to preach - I own a lot of products from cosmetics companies that are known to comply with Chinese animal testing laws. I'm just laying it out there for those who'd like to make an informed decision when shopping for beauty products. You might be surprised...

B., Superdrug's own makeup line - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Let's start on a good note! Superdrug's own makeup and skincare line B. is both cruelty-free AND vegan.

From Superdrug's website: "We love everything beauty, and are proud to say that no animals are tested on in our quest for cosmetics in our Own Brand range! Look out for the Leaping Rabbit on our Own Brand products to be assured it has been certified ‘cruelty free' under the internationally recognised Humane Cosmetics Products Standards."

Barry M - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Not only do Barry M not test on animals or distribute in China, they're also part of the Be Cruelty-Free campaign led by Humane Society International.

From Barry M's website: 'Through working with HSI, we have now gone one step further and pledged not to permit our products to be sold in countries such as China whilst they require additional new animal testing. We have also pledged not to use new ingredients that become available in the future unless their safety can be assessed entirely without animal testing.'

Bourjois - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

This is a tricky one. The Bourjois website neglects to mention any animal testing issues, and cruelty-free bloggers who have reached out to the company have largely been stonewalled. Those who haven't been ignored have received the usual party line: 'Bourjois does not test finished products on animals in accordance with EU law.'

However, organisations such as Choose Cruelty Free have investigated, and have discovered that Bourjois products are indeed being sold in mainland China, which means that it's very likely that they've been tested on animals.

Collection - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Another weird one. Collection's products are not currently being sold in China, which is a good sign, but their responses to questions from cruelty-free bloggers have been vague and sometimes conflicting.

In response to questions from excellent vegan beauty blog The Vegan Taff, a Collection representative had the following to say: "Collection Cosmetics do not test and do not instruct any third party to test finished products on animals. We are not affiliated with any companies or manufacturers that test on animals.

We can confirm that our company do not test any ingredients on animals. However, we cannot confirm that a third party has never tested an ingredient on animals. Some ingredients have been around for a long time and also they have been animal tested for non-cosmetic purposes (e.g. for use in medicinal products). Since 2009, all new cosmetic ingredients are not animal tested as this is stipulated in the EU Cosmetics Regulations."

L'Oréal - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Unfortunately, it's no surprise that one of the world's biggest manufacturers of cosmetics has chosen to test on animals to comply with China's laws. Their website, while a bit contradictory, is fairly open about this.

From L’Oréal's website: "The Group no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others. (Emphasis theirs.) An exception could be made if regulatory authorities required it for safety or regulatory purposes."

"In China, the regulatory authorities carry out within their evaluation centers animal tests for finished cosmetics products before these are placed on their market. We think these tests are unnecessary but we cannot prevent them."

Lottie London - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Lottie London is a relatively new brand that mostly produces (very cute) nail polishes and makeup brushes, but they're very open about being cruelty-free.

From the Lottie London website: "Lottie London is a cruelty free brand – our brushes are made with synthetic hair making them vegan friendly and easy to take care of. No animals were harmed in the making of our products, we love them too much!"

Makeup Revolution - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Hurrah! The brand taking budget beauty blogs by storm has confirmed that they do not test on animals. Although the website is hardly explanatory (the response to the listed FAQ reads simply 'No we do not test on animals.'), a representative confirmed their cruelty-free status on The Vegan Taff earlier this year.

From The Vegan Taff: "We can confirm that we do not test our finished products nor ingredients on animals and neither do any third parties (and we are not owned by a parent company). We do not sell in China."

Max Factor - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Max Factor are owned by Procter & Gamble, another huge cosmetics company that feels it cannot afford to pull out of the Chinese market.

In a statement to The Daily Mail, the company said this: "'We do not test our products or ingredients on animals anywhere in the world unless required by law... We will continue to develop new non-animal alternative tests and work with regulators around the world to get these new methods accepted as standard, which is the only solution to ultimately end animal testing globally."

Maybelline - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Maybelline is owned by The L'Oréal Group, which means that their products are tested on animals.

Miss Sporty - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

Miss Sporty, a brand that was for many of us the introduction to cheap makeup (I wore one of their frosted pink lipsticks for pretty much the entire time I was 14), is owned by Coty Inc., who do test on animals.

From the Miss Sporty website: "We do not perform, nor do we ever commission any third parties on our behalf to perform, testing of our products or ingredients on animals."

"The only exceptions are the very few countries where, by law, the regulatory authorities require us to submit our products or ingredients to them for testing on animals as a mandatory part of their regulatory protocols in compliance with their local regulations. In these countries we regularly communicate directly with the authorities and try to convince them to accept the validity of the results of alternative non-animal testing methods. We accede to mandated testing by the authorities on animals only as a last resort."

MUA Makeup Academy - is it cruelty-free?

As well as stating on their website that none of their ingredients have been tested on animals, MUA have confirmed with The Vegan Taff that they are cruelty-free, and only export to China via their website (which means they are not subject to the same laws.)

From The Vegan Taff: "We can confirm our products are not tested on animals and are 100% cruelty free. We do not sell directly in China, only via our online site exporting from the UK."

Revlon - is it cruelty-free?

Isabel Hicks

As with Max Factor, Revlon are owned by Procter & Gamble, which means their products are tested on animals.